Furnace-feeder



(ModeL) I. BRICKS-0N. Furnace Pqed'et Np. 230,257. Patente'dluly 20, 1 880.

.qldl l llr llllllvll VUI'I'IIIH n .I n u INVENTOR WITNESSE$ ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT FURNACE-FEEDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 230,257, dated July 20, 1880. Application Iilod April $18, 1880. (ModeL) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISRAEL ERIOKSON, of Whitehall, in the county of Muskcgon and State of Michigan, have invented a new and Improved Furnace-l eeder, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple and effective device for feeding sawdust, shavings, 850., to a lire and Spreading them thereon.

- The invention consists of spreading-bars or spreaders having outwardly-curved rear ends, and pivoted at about the center of their lengths to the under side of a reciprocating plate or frame that is supported on rollers and works in a spout or conductor which is fixed in front of a lire-door, said Spreaders being opened or spread laterally by contact of their curved ends with fixed rollers, and being closed by a connecting-spring.

Figure l. is a plan of the device with parts broken away to exhibit other parts. Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation on line :10 m, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan of a portion of the device, showing the manner in which the spreaderrollers may be adjusted.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

In the drawings, A represents the front of a boiler, and B a horizontal spout or conductor connected with the fire-door opening thereof. 0 is a chute, down which the sawdust, shavings, &c., fall into'the conductor B, and suspended on said plate 0 and resting thereon is a laterally-adjustable sheet or guide U, bent so as to form an upward central triangular projection, c. I) is the feeder, consisting of a flat plate or frame, having rollers or. wheels to a, that run on the rods or tracks I) 1), below the conductor B, and thereby assist in supporting the said feeder Din position. Said feeder D is reciprocated forward and back over the face of the conductor B by means of the pitman E, that connects said feeder l) with the crank-shaft F, power being applied to said crank-shaft F by means of the pulley G. The forward end, lb, of said feeder D is centrally pointed, in order the better to distribute the sawdust, &c., upon the fire-surfaces under the boiler. The sprcadingbars or spreaders II. II are pivoted side by side on the under side of the feeder 1), near the rear edge thereof, so that their ends are freeto move laterally, and the front ends of said spreaders II II, when retracted, extend but slightly within the fire-door opening (I, and are preferably notched and turned sidewise, as shown in Fig. 1, to give them more pushing-surface, while the rear ends of said sprcaders II II, or that portion of them in the rear of their pivoting-points, are curved outward, as shown. A spring, I, set between said spreaders II II and connected therewith, serves to hold them closed when they are retracted or witlnlrawn from the furnace.

()n a platform, K, at the rear of the conductor B, the horizontal rollers M. M are adjustably secured in the slots ff, so that said rollers M M maybe arranged in suitable position in relation to the spreaders II II.

When motion is given to the crank-shaft F the spreader-s II II move forward and back with the feeder 1), the ends of said spreaders II II entering well into the furnace of the boiler, and as said spreaders II II move forward their rear curved ends press laterally against the iixed rollers M M, and are thereby made to approach each other with the result of spreading or opening apart the front ends of the said sprcaders II II. Hence, when the device is in operation the sawdust, &c., is fed down by the chute 0 onto the conductor B, and, being directed evenly or to either side of said conductor B by the corresponding adjustmentof the triangular guide-sheet (J, is pressed forward into the furnace by the feeder I), and the spreaders II 11 are at the same time oniered into the fire-place and opened laterally to spread said sawdust, &c., evenly over the lire-surface.

By adjusting the rollers M M in the slots f f the spreaders ll II may be spread open to a greater or less degree, according to the requirements of the fire or furnace.

The spreaders II II do not close completely, and hence when retracted will not draw fuel from the furnace.

Having thus described -my invention, 1

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters in combination with rollers M, all arranged Patentsubstantially as herein shown and described. 1. A furnace-feeder constructed substan- 3. The combination, with the spreaders H tially as herein shown and described, eonsist- H, of the connecting-spring I and rollers M 5 ing of the conductor B, chute 0, provided M, substantiallyashereinshownanddescribed. 15

with adjustable triangular guide 0, feeder D,

provided with rollers a a, and spring and ISRAEL ERICKSON' roller actuated spreaders H H, as set forth. Witnesses:

2. In a fnrnaee-feeder, the pix'oted Spreaders HELEN D. HEDGES,

10 H H, provided with ontward-cnrved rear ends, PAUL I. HEDGES. 

